Ishiguro is a master storyteller, one who is not afraid to look in a mirror and tell you, darkly what he finds. Klara and the Sun is a unique look at the trajectory of our world through the eyes of an Artificial Friend - Klara a solar-powered robot. Klara has an uncanny ability to mimic and notice people and situations.
Here I am talking about her as if she were a human. In my opinion that is what makes Ishiguro a master. He takes this idea and makes you care about her destiny in a tangible way that takes you on a full spectrum of emotions. Every so often you have to remind yourself that you are attached to a robot.
The book asks questions, like all great works of art. Questions like, 'Is there anything particular about humans? Are we as unique as we think? What does it mean to love? What I love about the story is that Ishiguro gives us space to answer these questions and to fight for what it means to be human. There are two moments in the book that moved me to tears.
The first is a moment at a party. There are a few children present who also have Artificial friends like Klara. They start to talk about tormenting her. Throwing her into the air to see if she lands on her feet. My heart was in my mouth for a few pages. Yes, Ishiguro made me care deeply about the physical and emotional well-being of a robot. A robot. I found myself choked up, to think that we accept any kind of bullying of anyone or anything.
Later, there is a moment in the book when Klara is walking through a field and sees the grass bent down, in her mind 'to worship the sun.' This moment gave me pause. Of course, with no skin cells, she cannot feel the breeze on her arms. Klara herself is powered by the sun. The breeze is obviously having an influence on the grass. Klara does not have this piece of information so worships the gift rather than the giver. This scenario made me question if there are times when we place our admiration in the wrong place because we have less than adequate information. Has this ever happened to you? Share your thoughts in the comments.
